Type-printing telegraph.



No. 745,279. PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903. F. H. w. HIGGINS.

TYPE PRINTING TELEGRAPH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 11, 1902.

N0 MODEL,

Ewezdbi.

@m amm i UNITED STATES Patented November 24, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK HERBERT WILLIAM HIGGINS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OFONE-HALF TO RANDALL DAVIES, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

TYPE-P RINTING TELEG RAPH;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,279, dated November24, 1903.

Application filed August 11, 1902. Serial No. 119,267. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK HERBERT WILLIAM HIGGINS, a subject of theKing of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 17 and 18 Oornhill, inthe city of London, England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Type Printing Telegraphs, (for which I have madeapplication for Letters Patentin Great Britain, No. 14,430, dated June25, 1902,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more especially to telegraphic instruments in whicha type-printing receiving instrument has its type-wheel driven by meansof an escapement-wheel propelled by an electrically-reciprocated leverhaving propelment-pallets. In such instruments as hithertoconstructedthe limit of speed possible does not exceed about sixtyrevolutions of the type-wheel per minute.

My invention has for its object to obtain much higher rates ofrevolution of the typewheel, so that a greater number of words may betransmitted in a given time.

My invention consists in arranging the pallets with respect to theescapement-wheel in such a manner that the pallets move through aconsiderable arc, and thereby attain considerable Velocity beforestriking the teeth of the escapement-wheel, the propelment-leverabutting against suitable stops directly after contact, with the resultthat the impact between the pallet and escapement-wheel is of the natureof a sudden blow the energy of which issufficient to cause theescapementwheel and other parts carried on the same axis to completetheir are of movement, as hereinafter explained, by their acquiredmomentum, rebound being prevented byspringpressed pawl engaging with aratchet-wheel having double as many teeth as the escapement-wheel and onthe same axis.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are end and sideelevations, respectively,of the escapement-wheel,propelment-lever, andratchet-wheel. Fig. 2 also shows the electromagnets under the action ofwhich the propelment-lever reciprocates.

According to one modification of my invention I construct theescapement-wheel a, on the type-wheel axis b with teeth 0 of coarsepitch, the leading faces 0 c of each tooth being practicallyradial,while the back or driven faces d d of each tooth are slightlycurved. The propelment-lever e'is pivoted about an axis f at one end andat the other end branches into two arms 6 6 partially em bracing theescapement-wheel. These arms are provided with pallet-faces f and frespectively, which alternately come into contact with a tooth of theescapement-wheel as the propelment-lever reciprocates, and also withfaces h h which limit the successive arcs described by theescapement-wheel at high speeds. I also provide on the type-wheelaxis 1) a ratchet-wheel 1), having, preferably, twice as many teeth asthe escapement-wheel, and a pawl 2'', controlled by a spring '6 which isso arranged as to lock with one of the ratchet-teeth and prevent areversal of the direction of rotation of the type-wheel shaft just whenthe escapement-wheel has completed its'free arc of movement under itsown momentum in a manner to be explained hereinafter.

I provide two stops lo 10 one on each side of the propelment-lever, tolimit its travel in each direction, and preferably provide these stopswith bufiers Z Z held out by springs, such. as m m The propelment-leveris caused to reciprocate by electromagnets in accordance with impulsesreceived from the transmitting instru ment or by an electromagnetand'aspring. The resulting direction of rotation is indicated 8 5 by anarrow in Fig. 2.

According to the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 2 an arm n is fixed tothe shaft f, on which the lever e is mounted, and carries the armatures0 0 of the electromagnets 7" r respectively. By suitably energizing theelectromagnets the arm n, and consequently the lever e, is caused toreciprocate.

To explain the action of the mechanism, it is necessary to point outthat, supposing the escapement- Wheel to have fourteen teeth, then,although fourteen complete reciprocations of the propelment-lever arenecessary to rotate the escapement-wheel on its axis once at all speeds,nevertheless the action of no the mechanism is somewhat difierent athigh I and low speeds, for, supposing first the propelment-lever to beoperated very slowly, one of the propelment-pallets-f, for i11stancewill abut against a face d of a tooth of the esoapement-wheel and pushthe wheel round through a certain arc until the propelmentlevers motionis stopped by the buffer Z provided. The motion of the lever will thenbe reversed and the other pallet-faceJ' will similarly act on acorresponding face of another tooth of the escapement-wheel, which willbe driven round through a further arc. It will be seen from thisdescription that at low speeds a pallet face after abutting against atooth of the escapement-wheel remains in contact with it until thefurther motion of the propelment-lever is stopped by the buffers. Theescapement-wheel, therefore, at low speeds does not describe any freearc of movement out of contact with the propelment-pallets. If, however,the propelnlent-lever is rapidly reciprocated, the action is different,for, supposing the lever e at some stage of its motion to be in contactwith the stop 76' and about to move across to the other stop W, thefirst part of its motion that is to say, until the pallet-facef has comeinto contact with a face d of a tooth of the escapement-wheel-takesplace at a continuously-increasing velocity, since the electromagnetsdriving the lever e have at this stage only its inertia to overcome. Bythe time, therefore, that the pallet-face f abuts against anescapement-wheel tooth the lever e has attained a considerable velocity.The pallet-face f will remain in contact with the face cl of theescapement-wheel until the lever e completes the remaining small arc ofits motion and is stopped by the buffer Z At high rates of reciprocationthis small arc is so quickly passed over by the lever e that its actionwith the escapement-wheel is of the nature of a blow, theescapement-wheel flyingv forward in the direction of the arrow after themotion of the lever c has ceased until the radial face 0 comes intocontact with the face h on the lever e and further motion is prevented.Just at this moment the pawl t" looks with a tooth of the ratchet-wheeland prevents rebound. The mechanism is then in the position shown inFig. 2. The return movement of the lever e operates in asimilar manneron the face d until the radial face 0 of an escapement-tooth is stoppedby the face 72 on the lever e. It will be seen, then, that at highspeeds the escapement-wheel describes a free arc of movement out ofcontact With the propelment-lever.

I find that with the disposition of propelment-pallets andescapement-teeth described and illustrated I am able to attain very highworking speeds farin excess of any previously obtained and without theassistance of auxiliary motors, this increased speed being due to thefree arc of movement described by the escapement-wheel, this free arc inthe first place allowing the lever c more space in which to increase itsvelocity during its next reciprocation and in the second place insuringthat the next tooth of the escapement-wheel is acted upon by thepropelment-pallet-s at each reciprocation. With similar mechanismsconstructed hitherto it is found that when very high speeds areattempted a propelmentpallet may enter the gap between two teeth of theescapment-wheel at consecutive reciprocations without causing the Wheelto advance thus throwing the transmitting and receiving instruments outof synchronism.

It is obvious that such a mechanism may be used for other purposes thanprinting telegraphy.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. In type-printing-telegraph receiving instruments, means for obtainingincreased speed of rotation of the type-wheel shaft, comprising anescapement-wheel mounted on the type-wheel shaft, teeth thereon, a leverpivoted at one end operating said shaft, propelment-pallets at the otherend of said lever, electrical means for causing said lever to reciprocate and said propelment-pallets being so disposed with regard tothe escapementwheel that they move through a considerable are andthereby attain a considerable velocity before striking the teeth of theescapementwheel with which they remain in contact for only a small partof the arc of movement of the esoapement-wheel, the major portion ofthis are being covered by the momentum acquired during contact with thepropelmentpallets, all substantially as set forth.

2. In type-printing-telegraph receiving instruments, means for obtainingincreased speed of rotation of the type-wheel shaft comprising anescapement-Wheel mounted on the shaft to be driven, teeth on said wheel,a lever pivoted at one end operating said wheel, propelment-pallets atthe other end of said lever,spring-buffer stops, and electrical meansfor causing said lever to reciprocate between said stops, and saidpropelment-pallets being so disposedwith regard to the escapementwheelthat they move through a considerable arc and thereby attain aconsiderable velocity before striking the teeth of the escapementwheelwith which they remain in contact for only a small part of the arc ofmovement of the escapement-wheel, the major portion of this are beingcovered by the momentum acquired during contact with thepropelmentpallets, all substantially as set forth.

3. In type-printing-telegraph receiving instruments, means for obtainingincreased speed of rotation of the type-wheel shaft, comprising anescapementwheel mounted on the shaft to be driven, teeth on said wheel,a lever pivoted at one end operating said wheel, propelment-pallets atthe other end of said 1ever, spring-buffer stops, and electrical meansfor cansin g said lever to reciprocate between said stops, and saidpropelment-pallets being so disposed with regard to the escapement- IIOin the reverse direction, and a spring-pressed pawl for looking withsaid ratchet-wheel at the end of each arc of movement, substantially asdescribed. v

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

FREDERICK HERBERT WILLIAM HIGGINS.

Witnesses:

E. G. TILLYER, F. J. BIGNELL.

